Longtime administrator of the Booker Prize Prize Martyn Goff, 91, died Wednesday after a long illness. Goff, a former bookseller and the author of 18 books of his own, became administrator in 1970 and retired in 2006. Goff also served as director of the National Book League from 1970 through 1988. Current chair of the Booker Foundation Jonathan Taylor said in a statement: “Martyn was a wonderful advocate and administrator of the prize for so many years. His contribution was invaluable and under Martyn the prize grew in stature and reputation, not least because of his tireless championing of contemporary fiction of the highest quality.”
Alix Reid has been named executive editor, Carolrhoda Books and Carolrhoda Lab, overseeing the newly acquired list of titles previously published by Egmont USA. Currently an interim editor-at-large at Lerner, Reid was previously vp, editorial director at HarperCollins Children’s.
Penguin Random House UK announced a number of changes in its strategy, commercial, and digital teams. Maud Watson has been promoted to director of international development and group projects, reporting to Ian Hudson. Paul Kelly, currently group strategy director, will expand his role to become group strategy and commercial director, UK and international. The international e-book sales teams led by Giovanna Franchina, head of digital sales and channel development, and Duncan Bruce, digital business development director, will now report to group sales director Mike Symons. Finally, head of licensing and brand development (as well as the RH UK enterprise team) Jo Edwards will report to Hannah Telfer. Edwards will continue to be responsible for live events.
Ed Armitage will join Waterstones as director of e-commerce in May. He is currently head of multichannel at craft and gift retailer Hobbycraft. Armitage succeeds Colm McCrory, former head of e-commerce and digital at Waterstones, who left last month after working on the relaunch of Waterstones’ website.
Partnerships
OR Books has partnered with Evergreen Review to manage the publishing properties of the literary magazine, including works by Marguerite Duras, Samuel Beckett, and Kenzaburo Oe. The move is in tandem with OR’s plan to publish Evergreen and Grove Press founder Barney Rosset’s posthumous biography in 2016. In addition, OR Books co-founder John Oakes was named executive director and publisher by the Evergreen Review board. “I can think of no better partner than OR,” said Astrid Myers Rosset, Rosset’s widow and a member of the Evergreen board, in the announcement. “I like to imagine Barney would welcome Evergreen’s evolution, and of course its resurrection.”
Forthcoming
Amulet will publish the tenth WIMPY KID book, which does not yet have a title, by Jeff Kinney on November 3. “The tenth Wimpy Kid book gives me a chance to reset the series,” Kinney said in a statement. “I’ve thought a lot about what’s made these books work and how it all got started. So for me, personally, it’s back to basics. I’m carrying that theme through the book.” USA TODAY reports the book “will follow wimpy kid Greg as he goes on a week-long field trip to a farm. Kinney said there’s a generation gap between the kids and their chaperones.”